Social Specialist (local)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

SOCIAL OFFICER (Local) - (FULL-TIME)

Preparation for Fiji Energy Transformation Project

Project Preparation Unit (PPU) | Energy Fiji Limited (EFL)
World Bank Environmental and Social Framework (ESF)

Table of Contents

Table of Contents. 1

1. Introduction and Background. 3

2. Objective of the Assignment 3

3. Scope of Work. 3

3.1 Stakeholder Engagement and Community Liaison. 3

3.2 Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework (IPPF) 3

3.3 Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) 4

3.4 Negotiated Land Agreement Due Diligence. 4

3.5 Gender and Vulnerability. 4

3.6 Labor and Working Conditions - Social Dimensions. 4

3.7 Coordination with Government Line Ministries and Agencies. 5

3.8 Capacity Building. 5

3.9 Reporting and Coordination. 5

4. Methodology and Approach. 5

5. Key Deliverables and Indicative Timing. 6

6. Assignment Duration and Work Programme. 6

7. Required Qualifications and Experience. 6

7.1 Education. 6

7.2 Professional Experience. 6

7.3 Skills and Competencies. 7

8. Reporting and Working Arrangements. 7

9. Application Requirements. 7

1. Introduction and Background

The Fiji Energy Transformation Project is proposed as a USD 230 million World Bank-supported initiative aimed at accelerating renewable energy, modernizing the power grid, and reforming the energy sector to attract private investment. Key interventions include large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage system (BESS) parks of 50 MW or more each, grid evacuation infrastructure, transmission line upgrades, and modernization of existing power stations across Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, and Taveuni. The project’s environmental and social risks have been classified as Substantial under the World Bank Environmental and Social Framework (ESF).

A significant portion of land in the project area is held under customary iTaukei tenure and managed through the iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB). Many affected communities are iTaukei Fijians who qualify as Indigenous Peoples under ESS7. The project may also involve economic and physical displacement linked to land acquisition for solar parks, transmission lines, and associated infrastructure, triggering ESS5 on Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement.

The Social Officer will be embedded within the PPU and will work under the day-to-day supervision of the Environmental and Social (E&S) Specialist, who has overall leadership of the project’s E&S function. The Social Officer will work in close coordination with the Environment Officer. Together, these positions constitute the project’s E&S team and are jointly responsible for delivering the suite of ESF instruments required for project appraisal and for supporting implementation thereafter.

2. Objective of the Assignment

The objective of the assignment is to support the timely preparation of all social-related ESF instruments required for appraisal, ensure ongoing and meaningful stakeholder engagement throughout project preparation and implementation, and serve as the PPU’s primary liaison with government line ministries and agencies responsible for land, indigenous affairs, and social protection.

3. Scope of Work

3.1 Stakeholder Engagement and Community Liaison

a. Lead the preparation, implementation, and updating of the project’s Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP), in close coordination with the E&S Specialist, who will review and finalize the instrument. The SEP must include:

• A project-wide grievance redress mechanism (GRM), including a reporting structure for complaint escalation and resolution within specified timeframes.
• A dedicated pathway for Sexual Exploitation and Abuse / Sexual Harassment (SEA/SH) complaints, including resolution or escalation timeframes.
• Differentiated engagement approaches for iTaukei communities, women, and other vulnerable groups.
• A disclosure schedule compliant with ESF requirements.

b. Serve as the PPU’s primary point of contact for community-level consultations across project sites on Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, and Taveuni. Coordinate field consultation logistics with the Environment Officer so that environmental and social consultations are sequenced and, where possible, combined to minimize the burden on communities.

c. Maintain a consultation log recording meetings, attendees disaggregated by gender and community role, issues raised, and follow-up actions. Share the log with the E&S Specialist and Environment Officer on a fortnightly basis.

d. Ensure that Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes are properly documented for all iTaukei communities in the project’s area of influence, in accordance with ESS7 and applicable Fijian law.

3.2 Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework (IPPF)

a. Lead the preparation of the Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework (IPPF) in accordance with ESS7. The IPPF must:

• Liaise with the EFL Lands Team to identify all iTaukei communities and landowning units (mataqali) in the project’s area of influence.
• Set out a methodology for social assessment and FPIC at the site-specific level.
• Define entitlements and culturally appropriate benefit-sharing mechanisms.
• Establish culturally sensitive grievance and feedback channels.
• Address gender dynamics and vulnerabilities within iTaukei communities.

b. Coordinate with the E&S Specialist to ensure consistency between the IPPF, the Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF), and the SEP, so that the instruments present a coherent and non-contradictory framework for community engagement and entitlements.

c. Where site-specific Indigenous Peoples Plans (IPPs) are required, support their preparation in parallel with, or as a follow-on to, the IPPF.

3.3 Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF)

a. Support the E&S Specialist in preparing the RPF in accordance with ESS5. The Social Officer will be responsible for:

• Conducting or supervising social baseline surveys required to inform the RPF.
• Documenting existing land use, livelihoods, and community assets in project-affected areas.
• Drafting the entitlement matrix in coordination with the E&S Specialist.
• Ensuring that the RPF reflects the specificities of iTaukei land tenure and customary rights.

b. Coordinate with the Environment Officer to ensure that environmental footprint assessments underpinning the RPF, including site boundaries, buffer zones, and access routes, are accurate and consistently applied across instruments.

3.4 Negotiated Land Agreement Due Diligence

a. Support the E&S Specialist in preparing the Negotiated Land Agreement Due Diligence Report. The Social Officer will:

• Coordinate with the EFL Lands Team and liaise with the TLTB and relevant landowning units (mataqali) to understand existing or proposed negotiated land agreements for solar park and transmission line sites.
• Verify the voluntariness of negotiations and document indicators of undue pressure or inadequate community representation.
• Identify gaps between existing agreements and ESF requirements and propose remediation measures.

3.5 Gender and Vulnerability

a. Integrate gender analysis into all social instruments, ensuring that the project identifies and responds to differential impacts on women, girls, and other vulnerable or marginalized groups.

b. Support the preparation of a Gender Action Plan or equivalent measures, in coordination with the E&S Specialist.

c. Identify and document vulnerable households in the project area, including elderly people, persons with disabilities, female-headed households, and households with insecure tenure, and ensure they are reflected in the RPF entitlement matrix and the IPPF.

3.6 Labor and Working Conditions - Social Dimensions

a. Contribute to the Labor Management Procedures (LMP) by preparing the social dimensions, including community hiring provisions, management of labor influx risks, SEA/SH and communicable disease risks in host communities, supply chain social due diligence requirements, and conflict resolution between workers and community members. The E&S Specialist retains overall responsibility for the LMP.

b. Coordinate with the Environment Officer on environmental health dimensions of labor influx, including waste, water, and camp management, to ensure that the LMP presents unified and internally consistent measures.

3.7 Coordination with Government Line Ministries and Agencies

The Social Officer will serve as the PPU’s primary liaison with the following entities on social matters:

• Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources: land acquisition procedures, state land matters, and coordination of required land surveys or valuations.
• iTaukei Affairs Board / Ministry of iTaukei Affairs: customary governance, community protocols, and support for FPIC processes.
• iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB): management of iTaukei land, negotiated agreements, lease arrangements, and consent from landowning units.
• Department of Social Welfare / Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation: identification of vulnerable households and gender considerations.
• Any other relevant agency identified during preparation as having a mandate over affected communities or social protection matters.

The Social Officer will establish and maintain regular contact with focal points in each agency, keep records of correspondence and meetings, and report on ministry engagement to the E&S Specialist as part of the fortnightly joint E&S team update.

3.8 Capacity Building

a. Together with the E&S Specialist and Environment Officer, contribute to the preparation of the TOR for EFL’s institutional Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS), specifically the social management components.

b. Provide on-the-job guidance to EFL staff engaged in community liaison activities during project preparation.

3.9 Reporting and Coordination

a. Prepare monthly progress reports on social preparation activities and submit them to the E&S Specialist for integration into the consolidated E&S team report to the PPU Project Manager.

b. Maintain a live Social Risk Register tracking identified social risks and mitigation measures, updated fortnightly and shared with the E&S Specialist and Environment Officer.

c. Participate in the mandatory weekly joint E&S team meeting and the fortnightly joint risk register review.

d. Coordinate all field visits jointly with the Environment Officer and E&S Specialist. Where a visit has environmental and social dimensions, the Social Officer and Environment Officer will attend together wherever possible to minimize multiple visits and support integrated data collection.

e. Before submitting an instrument draft to the E&S Specialist, circulate it to the Environment Officer for a peer consistency check covering site boundaries, affected population figures, and mitigation commitments.

f. Support the E&S Specialist during World Bank supervision missions and technical reviews, including preparation of briefing materials and attendance at relevant meetings.

4. Methodology and Approach

The Social Officer will apply an integrated, participatory, and evidence-based approach throughout the assignment. The approach will include:

• Desktop review of available project documents, land information, consultation records, and relevant social baseline information.
• Field-based social assessment and community consultation across relevant project locations.
• Culturally appropriate engagement with iTaukei communities and landowning units, including documentation of FPIC where required.
• Coordination with the E&S Specialist, Environment Officer, EFL Lands Team, government agencies, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Preparation, review, updating, and consistency checking of social instruments and associated records.
• Routine monitoring through consultation logs, the Social Risk Register, progress reports, and agreed coordination meetings.

5. Key Deliverables and Indicative Timing

All deliverables are subject to World Bank review and clearance. The primary target is project appraisal. Specific submission dates will be agreed with the E&S Specialist and PPU Project Manager upon commencement.

6. Assignment Duration and Work Programme

The position is expected to commence as soon as possible and will cover the full project preparation period through appraisal, with the possibility of extension into implementation. Upon commencement, the Social Officer will agree detailed submission dates, priorities, and an activity schedule with the E&S Specialist and PPU Project Manager. Regular field travel will be required.

7. Required Qualifications and Experience

7.1 Education

• A university degree in social sciences, anthropology, development studies, law, or a related field. A postgraduate degree is an advantage.

7.2 Professional Experience

• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience in social safeguards or social risk management on infrastructure or energy projects.
• Demonstrated experience with World Bank ESF instruments, including ESS1, ESS2, ESS5, ESS7 and ESS10, or equivalent IFC Performance Standards.
• Demonstrated experience working with Indigenous Peoples and customary land tenure systems in the Pacific or comparable contexts.
• Experience liaising with government land administration agencies. Familiarity with Fiji’s iTaukei land tenure system and the role of the TLTB is a strong advantage.

7.3 Skills and Competencies

• Strong facilitation and consultation skills, including experience conducting consultations with rural and indigenous communities.
• Strong coordination, record-keeping, analytical, and report-writing skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary E&S and project preparation team.
• Excellent written and spoken English. Knowledge of iTaukei Fijian or Fiji Hindi is an advantage.

8. Reporting and Working Arrangements

The Social Officer is a full-time position based at the PPU office, with regular field visits to project sites across Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, and Taveuni. The Social Officer reports to the E&S Specialist on a day-to-day basis and to the PPU Project Manager on overall project matters. The Social Officer will participate in the weekly joint E&S team meeting and the broader PPU team meeting.

9. Application Requirements

Interested candidates should submit a curriculum vitae and a cover letter describing their relevant experience in relation to the scope of work set out in this TOR. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Submission

Further information can be obtained by emailing to tenders@efl.com.fj during office hours 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM (Fiji Time), Monday to Friday clear 3 days from the closing date of this EOI.

Expressions of interest must be uploaded to the EFL e-Tender Portal (TenderLink) at https://www.tenderlink.com/efl(opens in new window), by registering your company, by 4:00 PM (1600 hrs) Fiji Time on Wednesday 5th October 2026.

Tender documents may be viewed and downloaded from www.efl.com.fj(opens in new window) or https://www.tenderlink.com/efl(opens in new window).

Submissions by email or facsimile will not be accepted and will be deemed null and void. Hard copy submissions to the tender box at EFL Head Office, Suva, will not be accepted.